Social liberals stick to their principles

Your correspondents question the Liberal Democrats' commitment to social liberalism (Letters, 21 December). As members of the Social Liberal Forum, which represents the mainstream of the party, we wish to set the record straight. Far from saying whatever people want to hear, we Lib Dems pride ourselves on democratic policymaking that reflects the values in our constitution.

This says that we "exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity". These goals are easier to achieve in majority government, but, as the junior partner in a coalition with the Conservatives, our role is to deliver as many Lib Dem policies as possible, while preventing the most damaging aspects of Tory rule.

Clearly the party lost the public's trust over tuition fees, the replacement of which should have been handled much better. Significant Lib Dem achievements in government – from lifting a million low-paid workers out of income tax, to the pupil premium and starting to taking steps to make pay fairer and banks safer – should go some way to regaining that trust. But of course we need to go further. It's clear we need to achieve more to make Britain a more socially liberal place to live.

This is why we in the Social Liberal Forum are helping the party set out a distinctive vision in which the Lib Dems remain firmly committed to social liberalism – not as some convenient add-on, but as a core principle of progressive politics.Dr Prateek Buch, Dr David Hall-Matthews Chair, Mark Blackburn Director, James Graham, Cllr Paula Keaveney, Gareth Epps, Linda Jack, Naomi Smith, Geoff Payne, Joe Jordan, Mary Reid, Sandra GidleySocial Liberal Forum